Identities and Interactions

Reentry and Reintegration after Incarceration for Genocide

Bibliographic Data

ID2229849
AuthorsHollie Nyseth Nzitatira (0000-0002-3168-9897, The Ohio State University), John Gasana Gasasira (University of Rwanda)
Year2024
Volume129
Issue4
Pages1136-1171
Publication date2024-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAmerican Journal of Sociology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0002-9602 • E-ISSN: 1537-5390
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1086/728786
OpenAlexW4390066371
LanguageEN
Citations received7
References cited82

This study traces what happens when Rwandans complete their sentences for crimes of genocide, with an emphasis on identities and interactions during reentry and reintegration. Specifically, it relies on in-depth interviews conducted with 165 Rwandans prior to their release, as well as interviews with most of these individuals approximately four months after their returns to their communities. Interviews reveal that many respondents seek to shed labels tied to crimes of genocide and articulate a narrative of redemption that presents their current selves as good. The study theorizes the link between the presence of such narratives and interactions with family and community members—respectively termed return rituals and gestures of openness—that signal people are willing to engage with the formerly incarcerated individuals. It also draws upon a modest comparison group of 25 Rwandans incarcerated for nongenocide crimes to facilitate identification of processes specific to reentry and reintegration following genocide-related sentences

Criminology · Download · Genocide · Political science · Prison · Reentry · Sociology · Solitary confinement · Computer Science · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Gender, Security, and Conflict · Law · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Psychology

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